HA1: Piloting Diverse Peer Support Groups,
presented by Polly Jirkovsky (bio)
Polly Jirkovsky (she/her) is the Partnership Manager at PEPS where she builds new partnerships, supports existing partners and develops the systems and structures for other groups working with parents.Polly has worked at several nonprofits in the Seattle area.
She wants to continue learning about the connections between oppression, isolation and health disparities, and she believes that communities have the power to heal and strengthen. Her PEPS journey started as a volunteer group leader and she has now led over 30 PEPS peer support groups. BA in English, Earlham College. Master of Public Health from the University of Washington.
Maria Alejandra Gomez is thrilled to be a Community Connector for PEPS. She helps with volunteer recruitment, creating connections with partners in the area, and promoting PEPS programs in the region.
Maria Alejandra has a passion of working with the community and connecting people. Prior to joining PEPS, Maria worked with the Latino Initiative and Program areas at Girl Scouts of Western Washington and as Director of Member Services and Family Programs for the Northshore YMCA. She worked in human resources in Colombia. Maria studied Social Work in Colombia and earned a Master in Public Administration from Seattle University
, PEPS
PEPS, the Program for Early Parent Support, is a program that supports parents of babies 0-3 years old through parent peer-support groups. Over the last several years, PEPS has worked to improve our reach to communities we haven’t served well traditionally. We will share our learnings around strategies for landscape analysis, working with community partners, running community focus groups and pilot programs, and hiring contractors with lived experience to develop new programming. Our efforts led to us piloting new programs for LGBTQIA+ families, single parents, and parents of children with medical delays and disabilities, with other pilots in the works. Attendees of this session will have the opportunity to reflect on their own organizations, and create a plan to evaluate and improve their programmatic reach in their own communities.
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 3
Who Should Attend: Therapists, Home Visitors, Family Resources Coordinators, Interested Professionals, Trainers, Adult Educators
Learning Objectives:
Think critically about who your organization is best equipped to serve and how to work with other populations through community partnerships or developing new programs.
Develop collaborative partnerships with other aligned organizations.
Explore steps to develop new programming through focus groups, surveys and pilot programs.
Create a plan to assess how accessible your program is to underserved communities and hire contractors and people with lived experience to support organizational efforts to improve programs.
HA2: Meaningful Connections with Multicultural Families of Young Children with Developmental Delays/Disabilities,
presented by Sarina Murrell (bio)
Sarina Murrell is a multilingual medical speech-language pathologist with 15+ years as an educator and 10+ years’ in the field of speech-language pathology, working in medical operations for cleft-lip/palate, children’s hospitals in NICU/PICU and outpatient feeding clinics, autism centers, home-based early intervention and public schools across the US, Ecuador, and China. Sarina is the founder and director of The Airplane Spoon - a private practice for babies, children, and parents in feeding, communication, and coaching.
, The Airplane Spoon
In this presentation participants will discuss population focus; understanding who do we work with and why. Diving into further discussion regarding multicultural family linguistics and cultural diversity as well as common barriers to multicultural family experiences. Participants will also discuss how services are provided and common systematic barriers in early childhood systems/programs. Finally there will be an opportunity to see what participants can do in their own organizations including brainstorming language access, community partnerships, how to build relationships and ask the right questions and how to change programming to increase access. Participants will leave with a better understanding of equity/equitable services for young children and their families in Early Learning/Early childhood programs.
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 3, Birth through Age 5
Who Should Attend: All
Learning Objectives:
What organizations/programs can do to increase access/reduce barriers for children and families
What individuals can do to promote inclusive relationship building with all families, regardless of background, culture, diagnoses or other identity.
HA3: Navigating the To Do List after your Child's Autism Diagnosis (0-3),
presented by Katherine Bateman, University of Washington, with Adriana Luna, University of Washington
This session is for parents who have a child three and younger who has recently been diagnosed with autism. Parents will learn about four strategies designed to promote meaningful learning through playful interactions and have a chance to discuss recommendations on their child’s diagnostic report, ask questions, and build community with other parents.
HP1: Connections Model: Supporting Learning from a Neurological Perspective,
presented by Kayla Khan (bio)
Kayla Buswell Khan, MS, CCC-SLP is Director of Business Operations at Northwest Center Industries. Leveraging her background in clinical practice, Ms. Khan leads technology development, systems integration, and business operations for the Early Childhood Education team at the Seattle based non-profit.
Prior to running Business Operations, she worked for Northwest Center as a speech pathologist.
Ms. Khan has a BA in Psychology and a BS in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Washington. She has a MS in Speech Language Pathology from Gallaudet University. Ms. Khan is fluent in American Sign Language.
, Northwest Center Kids, with Andie Beck, Northwest Center, Jackie Jones, Northwest Center, Katie Merisko, Northwest Center
This presentation will provide an overview of a neurological framework for learning. Our neurological framework takes evidence from early childhood research and simplifies it into three steps that can be utilized to support learning in daily routines and activities by parents, teachers, and providers. Presenters will show how to use the Connections Model to reframe children's behaviors and support learning of new skills. The presentation includes videos, anecdotes, and real life examples. Presenters and participants will share and work through case studies using the Connections Model tool. Participants will receive a copy of the Connections Model tool and visuals to support the use of the Connections Model in classrooms, homes, and the community.
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 3
Who Should Attend: All, Parents, Foster Parents, Relative Care Givers, Teachers, Administrators, Therapists, Healthcare Staff, Home Visitors, Family Resources Coordinators, Interested Professionals, Students, Trainers, Adult Educators
Learning Objectives:
Know methods to assess a child’s foundational skills for learning
Provide information on the sensory system of both the child and caregiver and the impact on interactions and learning
Share how to identify and select strategies to support child and caregiver regulation
Strategies to support caregivers in identifying and selecting interactions which meet the regulation needs of both the child and caregiver
This is an Intermediate session. basic knowledge of the sensory system and its impact on children and families
HP2: Including Parents & Caregivers: A Wholistic Approach to ESIT Services for Children in Dependency,
presented by Jennifer Gears (bio)
Jennifer is currently the CHERISH Community Engagement Specialist, but started as a Family Resource Coordinator at Kindering. Through recognition and deep respect for the important role communities have in nurturing the next generation, Jennifer is continuously seeking opportunities to learn from the unique challenges and incredible strength that families in our community share. She is also passionately committed to confronting inequity and creating a more inclusive network of support that comprehensively meets the needs of systematically oppressed individuals and communities.
, Kindering, with Mara Calhoun, Kindering, CHERISH
ESIT services have a stronger, positive impact on development and wellbeing when caregivers and parents are both engaged, providing consistency and modeling collaboration for the child. With reunification being the primary goal whenever possible for children in Washington State Child Welfare dependency, it is best practice to include parents in ESIT services so that they have the opportunity to learn about their child’s development and needs in preparation for their reunification. Through years of navigating services with children, families, and the child welfare system, the CHERISH program has gained knowledge and experience providing dual-family ESIT services. In this presentation, CHERISH staff will share lessons learned and recommendations for a more inclusive approach to IFSP services.
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 3, Adults
Who Should Attend: All
Learning Objectives:
Why engaging both caregivers and parents in ESIT services is best practice
Establish common language, empathy, and understanding for various perspectives. Share considerations and resources for application
Foundational logistics of providing dual-family IFSP services
This is an Intermediate session. Some knowledge of ESIT services and Child Welfare systems helpful
HE1: Parent Coaching Strategies: Bringing Positive and Lasting Change through Relationship-Building, Co-Construction, and Self-Reflection,
presented by Sarina Murrell (bio)
Sarina Murrell is a multilingual medical speech-language pathologist with 15+ years as an educator and 10+ years’ in the field of speech-language pathology, working in medical operations for cleft-lip/palate, children’s hospitals in NICU/PICU and outpatient feeding clinics, autism centers, home-based early intervention and public schools across the US, Ecuador, and China. Sarina is the founder and director of The Airplane Spoon - a private practice for babies, children, and parents in feeding, communication, and coaching.
, The Airplane Spoon
Parenting can be challenging, but supporting parents doesn't have to be. In our specific roles as we work with young children and their parents, we can help establish more positive, trusting relationships with the parents we serve and help create long-term, effective change through some simple (but powerful) parent coaching strategies - relationship building, co-construction and self-reflection. In this session, we will be comparing and contrasting what Parent Coaching is and what it is not. We will practice these strategies on ourselves and think about our own experiences - since we are all united with this same simple truth: we all have been children and we all have had parents. By best supporting and empowering our parents, we are, in turn, better supporting and empowering our children.
Age Group Addressed: Adults, All age groups
Who Should Attend: Parents, Foster Parents, Relative Care Givers, Teachers, Administrators, Therapists, Healthcare Staff, Home Visitors, Family Resources Coordinators, All, Interested Professionals, Students, Trainers, Adult Educators
Learning Objectives:
Define and understand what is Parent Coaching (and what it isn’t)
Identify the purposes of why we should be incorporating parent coaching into educational, therapeutic, and childcare supports
Explain the differences and similarities between adult learning and child learning strategies
Apply reflective questioning into sessions to build trust and create meaningful relationships
HE2: When the Brain Doesn't Hear: Central Auditory Processing Disorder, The Auditory Equivalent of Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment,
presented by Maurice Belote (bio)
Maurice Belote has worked exclusively in the field of deafblindness for 41 years. Most recently, Maurice served as Project Coordinator of California Deafblind Services from 1992 until his retirement in 2021. He is currently adjunct faculty with two university teacher training programs and also serves as Co-Chair of the National Coalition on Deafblindness, which advocates for federal legislation and policies that promote equitable access for children and youth who are deafblind. He is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings and in 2021, was awarded the Anne Sullivan Macy Medal for his contributions to the field of deafblindness.
, none
In recent years, we have learned a lot about how to identify and support children who do not process visual information typically—a neurological condition called cortical or cerebral visual impairment (CVI). But the causes underlying CVI also may be associated with a disorder that causes the brain to not “hear” typically—a condition called central auditory processing disorder or CAPD. This session will help increase awareness of CAPD: risk factors, signs, and why testing may be impossible to do. Even in situations where we cannot get a definite diagnosis, we can implement strategies and interventions, both low- and high-tech, that not only can benefit children with CAPD, but can support all children in early learning settings.
Age Group Addressed: All age groups
Who Should Attend: All
Learning Objectives:
Learn the risk factors and signs of CAPD.
Understand why CAPD is difficult to diagnose.
Apply a variety of appropriate strategies to support children with suspected CAPD that will benefit all children in early learning settings.
This is an Intermediate session. This session is especially applicable for teachers of the blind/low vision, teachers of the Deaf/hard of hearing, speech/language pathologists, special education teachers, and other interested people who support children with complex needs.
